‘Luxury vehicle condos’ coming to Cape Coral

The Caves of Cape Coral plans spring groundbreaking

March 8, 2018

Kevin Cloutier, an agent with Priceless Realty, has launched a project called The Caves of Cape Coral.

It's planned for a spring groundbreaking in southwest Cape Coral.

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Car lover Kevin Coutier shows off his brand new Mustang. Car buffs soon will have the option of having their vehicles suspended in the air at an in-the-works condo-esque vehicular storage facility, The Caves of Cape Coral. The Caves will host 10 tricked-out garages.

The Caves are condo-esque vehicular storage which will host 10 tricked-out garages for your toys.

Big boy toys, that is. We're talking exotic cars, boats, RVs, motorcycles, planes and rocket ships. OK, maybe not rocket ships, but The Caves' "hanger room" can indeed be equipped for a small air craft, according to Cloutier.

Cloutier has been determined to bring The Caves to Cape Coral ever since he came across the man cave concept, a trend which extends the ethos from a guy's house to a condo garage development. Commercial man caves are popping up all over America, and Cloutier is bringing the concept to Cape Coral.

"I'm lucky, I have the car and the real estate expertise," he said.

With more than 20 years of experience and closing over 840 transactions in commercial and residential real estate, Cloutier said he has the knowledge and drive to bring his idea to life.

"Cavemen" tend to have one common vision in mind: they take pride in their vehicles. The Caves is intended as an option for those who want to work on their cars, show them off in a comfortable atmosphere, and store them in a highly secure place.

Cloutier believes there are tens of thousands of people in Cape Coral who share his vision in taking care of what you worked hard for.

"It's where similar guys can share similar passion," he said.

The luxury-style man cave will be an escape from crowded family garages, where "cavemen" can keep their investments to their own standards. The Caves is intended for both personal enjoyment, and a community of like-minded people.

Although favorable amongst spouses who want to get their husbands out of the house, man caves are popular among women as well. In fact, the first reservation at The Caves of Cape Coral is a woman.

Prices for available garages are just above $232,000 for a 1,537-square-foot unit and as low as $173,050 for a unit with an unfinished loft. Units are available in various sizes and can be combined to achieve the right amount of space for each owner's needs.

Owners will get a space with a concrete floor, fire sprinklers, Wi-Fi, Cable TV and utility hookups, including 200-amp electrical service. All garages will have high ceilings to accommodate mezzanines/lofts, which are customizable if you want to see the tops of your fancy rides. Outfitting the garages with man cave items and equipment is limited only by the imagination.

The first five pre-construction reservations will receive a discounted contract, and have the ability to influence The Caves' future floorplan. John Ringland of Ringland Development Corp expects to start the project's 6-month construction in a matter of weeks, as soon as the last of the five pre-construction reservations are filled.

The only caveat is: you can't live there, and you can't do retail business or advertising out of the facility. That was decided by the city last year when Ringland persuaded the City Council to approve an ordinance specifically to permit the construction of project.

Other than the "no business/no living" rule, the unit owners will govern the rules, if they decide to have any rules to begin with. After all, a symbolic quality of a man cave is a "no rule zone."

Cloutier has been working on cars since he was 15, which was a popular shared hobby in the 1970s.

"You had to enjoy working on a car as much as you did driving it," he said. "So it was a 50/50 between doing something to it, and getting just enjoyment out of doing something to it that ended up working, as well as just driving it around, showing it off, racing it around and having a faster, cooler looking car. That's how my generation did it," he said.

Young drivers now face a tougher time "doing it yourself," now that imports and computerized vehicles dominate the automotive industry.

The Caves is not so much about flexing your muscle car as it is about rekindling an old dream. Similar to the dream Cloutier had in the 1970s when he spent hours working on his $200 Mustang. The love for the Mustang never died out, it just evolved and got better through time and hard work. That is more of what the man cave is about, to enjoy the payoff of all the hard work and dedication.